Sunday, March 12 marks the beginning of daylight saving time and serves as a good reminder for Oregonians to test their smoke alarms. The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is urging residents to test their smoke alarms before automatically changing the batteries.

“Smoke alarm technology has advanced and many now come with 10-year batteries and some are tamper-resistant,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Walker. “So, I encourage residents to test their alarms before changing the battery.”

Oregon law requires ionization-only smoke alarms that are solely battery powered to come equipped with a hush feature and a 10-year battery. Because of this technology, the national slogan “Change your clock, Change your battery” may not apply to Oregon residents who have these ionization-only smoke alarms.[Read more…] about TEST YOUR SMOKE ALARMS WHEN SETTING YOUR CLOCK

Due to the continued hot and dry weather, the Douglas Forest Protective Association will impose Public Fire Restrictions, also known as a “Regulated Use Closure” effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 1st. The Public Fire Restrictions will be in effect on all 1.6 million acres of private, county, state, and BLM lands protected by DFPA. The Industrial Fire Precaution level (IFPL) will remain at IFPL 1 for the Douglas District.

The Douglas County Fire Prevention Cooperative is spreading the word to take extra caution this year to not only keep fires from starting, but also to keep everyone safe. The following is a list of fire prevention tips for residents using fireworks.

Keep It Legal

Oregon law prohibits fireworks that fly, explode, or move across the ground more than 6 feet. Fireworks purchased by mail order, in other states or on Native American reservations may be illegal in Oregon. This includes popular items such as bottle rockets, roman candles, firecrackers, and M-80s. To keep it legal, purchase all fireworks at a licensed Oregon fireworks stand.

Under Oregon law, those discharging illegal fireworks can be fined and/or arrested and can have their illegal fireworks seized. In addition, those discharging any type of firework, legal or illegal, can be held liable for damages resulting from their improper use. Oregon law also holds parents liable for damage caused by their children and allows fire agencies to charge for the cost of suppressing fires caused by fireworks.